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Private company

Hōshi Ryokan

Traditional inn in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

Hōshi (法師) is a ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) founded in 718 in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Under the instruction of Taichō, who was the founder of the Mount Haku religious tradition; it was given the name "Hōshi". As of 2017, it has been owned and managed by the Hoshi family for forty-six generations and was thought to be the oldest operating hotel in the world until Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705, claimed that title.2 It is headquartered in Komatsu.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 21, 2026.

Overview

0718Founded1

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260719 Houshi Awazu Onsen Komatsu Ishikawa pref Japan03s3
Photo: 663highland, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons3

Hōshi (法師) is a ryokan (Japanese traditional inn) founded in 718 in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Under the instruction of Taichō, who was the founder of the Mount Haku religious tradition; it was given the name "Hōshi". As of 2017, it has been owned and managed by the Hoshi family for forty-six generations and was thought to be the oldest operating hotel in the world until Nishiyama Onsen Keiunkan, founded in 705, claimed that title. It is located in Awazu Onsen, Komatsu, Ishikawa. However, it remains the record-holder of the world's oldest, continually-run family business.2

Timeline

  1. 0718Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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